III Community Innovation Award

Announcing 53 community projects (OPs) to receive investment

The Community Innovation Award was launched in June to leverage informal social initiatives (“Outras Paradas” in Portuguese). The initiatives were selected by a network of BrazilFoundation partner organizations who would contribute as mentors to strengthen and develop their locales. With its first edition in 2015, the award was created to meet the urgent demands of the social sector, democratize access to resources, encourage local leadership and incubate innovative social technologies.

In May, 2018 BrazilFoundation launched the third edition of the award to support 53 initiatives with R$ 6,500 in seed investment, R$ 5,000 of which will go to the project itself and R$ 1,500 for monitoring and mentoring costs.This year, 21 mentor organizations, all previously supported by BrazilFoundation, are participating in the award. The organizations represent 16 Brazilian states and helped identify and map 190 initiatives in their locales, from which 53 were selected to receive mentoring, resource monitoring, and results evaluation.

This model of “participatory philanthropy” aims to fund initiatives that exist outside the radar of other investors because they are not formalized; democratize resource allocation, test the idea that grantee organizations can be grantors, encourage local leadership development and create an ecosystem that favors the creation of new social technologies.

Funds for the III Community Innovation Award were raised through a partnership with Itaú Social, from the Gala Miami, and from the Bronxville Youth Council.

Além dos Muros – Rio de Janeiro, RJ | João Paulo Rodrigues, 30. (Redes da Maré)A theater that uses various approaches to discuss current challenges in the school community of Maré, fostering a network of artist multipliers.

Baque do Cerrado – Graduada batuque educacional – Goiânia, GO | Francisco Flávio Borges Almeida, 47. (Circo Laheto)Teaching youth percussionists the history of percussion pop culture while working with the community to become more involved in the project.

Cinema para Todos – Tauá, CE | Josiane Rodrigues da silva, 26. (ADETT)Providing the residents of Tauá access to different genres of cinematic production to stimulate learning, family and community integration and socialization.

Costura Criativa e o Bordado Inspirado na Obra Bordada de Nice Firmeza – Fortaleza, CE | Lúcia de Fátima Ferreira de Sousa, 64. (Barraca da Amizade)Preserving the embroidery art of Nice Firmeza, an artist from Ceará, through local artisans while also promoting the art as a form of income generation and independence for them.

Mandala: Produção Sustentável – Irituia, PA | Francisca Oliveira da Silva Gama, 60. (MMNEPA)Building a vegetable garden integrated with the raising of free-range chickens in the form of a mandala, contributing to meal security, nutrition and income for families.

Pelos Olhos de Carol: Sementes – São Paulo, SP | Clarissa Roberta Alves, 19; Dayana de Almeida Moraes, 20. (IBEAC)Teaching children about the work of Carolina Maria de Jesus, allowing them to become familiar with the author and to reflect on social inequalities.

Tomas Educação/Educação sem Muros – Belo Horizonte, MG | Priscila Regina Souza Tomas, 27; Rodrigo Francisco Correa de Oliveira, 33. (Fa.Vela)Photography, music and writing workshops for public school students, with the objective of capturing the experiences of living in the periphery and promoting appreciation for these communities. The project will also teach the students to share this knowledge.